Today, I get to describe to you one of the most incredible places on earth: Delphi. Before we arrived, my teacher described it as “heaven on earth,” and I am happy to say she was right.

On our way to Delphi, we got to see the beautiful mountainous countryside of Greece.

We made a pit spot and I had one of the best gas station coffees in my entire life. Next to the gas station, there was a tiny but beautifully decorated chapel. While I love a good Sheetz, this holy gas station pretty much put them to shame.

Before reaching the Temple, we made another stop at an olive orchard to taste Greek olive oil. I was apprehensive to taste the olive oil at first, because I was expecting the orchard would have a grand tasting building, but instead we were met with three guys, a tent, and a table on the side of the road. Once I tasted the olive oil, however, I was instantly hooked. My family is not usually big on buying souvenirs, however, we bought ten bottles so can we live off this olive oil as long as possible. Even though I have spent hours searching for this olive orchard online to buy even more bottles, I can not find it. You can find what the Internet says are the best olive oils, however, at this website.

After filling ourselves with as much olive oil, bread, and goat cheese as possible, we loaded back onto the bus to reach Delphi. The view as we passed by the ocean was spectacular.

            The sound of locusts filled the air once we reached the Temple of Delphi. The sun beat down on our backs like the previous day on the Acropolis, however, it was hard to concentrate on the heat when surrounded by such tranquil beauty.

The tour guide in Delphi was one of the best I had listened to in my entire life. The way she framed the importance of Delphi in ancient society shifted my entire perspective of Greek culture.

Delphi was a place of worship for Greeks as well as those from other nations that were traveling. All of these people came together to worship their gods, which are in many ways similar to our modern saints. These gods embodied what the Greeks strive to be or do, whether that be wise (Athena), to love fully (Aphrodite), or to be a strong warrior (Ares). Apollo, the patron of Delphi, was the god of the sun as well as wisdom. Many times in art, he is contrasted with the God Dionysus, who is the God of partying, embodying the balance Greeks strived for in their lives. Delphi was not just a religiously sacred place, however, it was a place where people from around the ancient world could share art, philosophy, and news as well.

The oracle of Delphi was supposed to hear messages from the God Apollo and relay them to man. Years later, archaeologists and scientists discovered there had been fumes in the Temple of Apollo during the years the Oracle was active. Interestingly, once these fumes stopped because an earthquake closed the fissure to the ground, people stopped visiting Delphi and the city soon died. You can read more about the debate about what specific fumes the oracle was inhaling here. Centuries later, people built their homes on this very land which was once so sacred.

It is interesting to learn that “legends” oftentimes have a truth and scientific basis to them. Even though we know the oracle wasn’t really listening to a god, those fumes were conjuring something wild in her brain. And although the Greeks lived thousands of years ago, they strived for something that humans have tried to find throughout time: how to live a full, balanced life.

I couldn’t help feeling sad leaving this beautiful place, because I could sense our travels were coming to a close!